Counter.



No. 886,008. l PATBNTED APR. 28, 1908.

T. H. MAYO.

COUNTER.

APPLICATION FILED 0011.23. 1907.

UNITED STATES .PATENT oEEIoE.

THOMAS H. MAYO, OF MELROSE, MASSASIIUSETTS.

COUNTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apn'l 28, 1908.

Application iiled. October 28, 1907. Serial No. 398,794.

vide a novel counter for boots and s oes.

lwhich has the appearance of an al1-leather counter, and also has all the-advantages of an all-leather counter, but which can be made of a oorer quality of leather than is requirec for an al1-leather counter.

In accordance with my invention I cut a piece of leather from which the counter is to e made into the proper shape and then split said piece from the bottom edge nearly to the top o f the counter and nearly to each end, thereby forming a pocket, into which pocket a stifening member of leather-board or other suitable material is inserted. The split in the leather does not ex'tend clear to thcends f of the counter, and the result is that the two sides of the pocket are integrali)T connected at both the top and the ends of the counter. This is important because 4when the stiftening member is in place and the counter is put into the shoe, there is no danger that the sides of the pocket will separate at the ends of the counter. ',A counter thus made has all the appearance on the exterior of an allleather counter and has as much sti'ness 'as an al1-leather counter made of a good grade of leather, but cheaper.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the blank from which the counter is made; j Fig. 2 shows the stii'e'ning piece; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a counter embodyin my invention, a portion of the counter eing broken out to better show the construction thereof; Fig. 4 is a section .through the blank on the line :v- Fig. 1, showlng the can be vmade very much stiffenin member in place.

In ma g a counter in accordance with mlyi mvention, I provide the body portion 3, W ch 1s made into therequisite shape for forming into aA counter, with an interior pocket into which is inserted a stiifening member designed to give the requisite stiffness to the counter. In my invention, this pocket, which is formed in the body portion` 3, extends from a point adjacent the' lower edge 6 of said body nearly to the to or o posite edge 5, and also extends near ends of the body.

It is important that the pocket should not extend clear to the top or c ear to theends of the body portion because it is desirable that the pocket, when constructed should have aclosed top and ends. The body 3 is made of one piece of leather and the pocket maybe formed therein in any suitableway, but preferably I will make the pocket by taking a piece of leather of the shape shown in Fig. 1 and splitting said piece of leather from a point adjacent the edge 6 nearly to the top edge 5 and nearly to the ends'15, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The advantage of forming the pocket in this way is so that no evidence of the existence of the ocket is visible from the exterior of the blan or body portion '3. After the pocket has been thus formed in the body portiona stiffening member 7 .of leather-board or other suitable material is inserted into the pocket from the open side thereof, said stiffening member 7 preferably being of a size to substantially fill the pocket and preferably having its ed es skived slightly, as shown in Fig. 4. T 's stiening member may be retained in the pocket in various ways, such as cementing or sewing it therein or securing it by both of these methods. If stitches are used for reytot e taining the stifening member in place, I will preferably sew the stiffening member to' the portion adjacent the edge 6 thereof, as at 10, in Figs. 3 and 4. I will also preferably make the stil'ening member 7 of slightly less after the stiffening member has been placed in the l ocket, the edge portion 12 of the inner side o the counter can be drawn down over the lower ed seen clearly 1n Fig.4, and the stitching 10 may be placed so as to hold this edge in this position. Where this construction is used, the lower edge of the stiiening member 7 will be entirely concealed.' It will be understood, of course, that the'edges of the body portion 3 will be skived as mg of counters.

usual in the mak-A Width than the depth of the pocket so that ge of the stifening member, as

After the stiffening member has been'inserted into the body portion and secured therein, said body portion is pressed into the desired shape in the counter, as shown in Fig. 3 in any, sultable or usual manner. In shaping the lank or body portion into a counter, it is formed with the usual inturned flange Aform this inturned Hane tion 20, which, when the counter is placed in' the shoe, is covered by the inner sole thereof. The vertically-extending portion of the counter, therefore, gives no evidence whatever of ythe presence of the stiffening member and the exterior appearance ofthe counter is that of an all-leather counter.

the stiffness of the counter does not depend However, since on the quality of the leather, but rather on 'the quality of the stiflening member, it willl be possible with my invention to use co1n paratively soft or spongy leather for the body portion of the counter land yet to obtain a counter which has al1 the appearance exteriorly of an al1-leather counter.

I have not shown herein all embodimentsI of lmy invention, but have illustrated. the preferred embodiment only.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim .as new anddesire to secure rby Letters Patent is A counter comprising a body portion split from the bottom nearly to the top and nearly*` to each end to form a pocket havlng 'two sides which are integrally connected at both the top and the ends of the counter, and a stlening member inserted into the pocketbetween fi said sides.

In testimony whereof, I have signed myname to this speciiication, in the presence of two subscribmg Witnesses.

THOMAS H. MAYO.

Witnesses:

MARGARET A. DUNN, Louis4 C. SMITH. 

